New report highlights challenges and rights of women with disabilities in Türkiye

In Türkiye, nearly four in ten women with disabilities report experiencing violence, and half face challenges in accessing healthcare services, 69% of women face difficulties accessing public buildings and spaces. From navigating inaccessible public spaces to facing prejudices in the workplace, women with disabilities encounter a unique intersection of gender and disability-based inequalities that profoundly shape their lives.

A new report by the Association of Women with Disabilities (ENG-KAD), conducted in collaboration with UN Women and with the financial support of the European Union, highlights these realities. The report titled “The Status, Needs, and Priorities of Women with Disabilities in Türkiye: A Rights-Based Study” which addresses the living conditions, needs, and priorities of women with disabilities in Türkiye, aims to address intersecting inequalities, such as gender and disability, and the challenges they pose to the social participation and access to fundamental rights for women with disabilities. The report aims to address the critical lack of data in this field.

Based on the experiences and knowledge of women with disabilities, the research was designed using a participatory approach. Conducted between September and November 2023, the fieldwork surveyed 991 women with disabilities (898 women with disabilities and 93 caregivers of women with disabilities). The findings reveal the difficulties faced by women with disabilities in areas such as education, employment, health, social participation, and violence. The report provides evidence-based policy recommendations to improve their access to rights and services. 

Key Findings highlight the inequalities faced by women with disabilities: 

• Violence and Safety: Nearly 4 out of 10 women with disabilities (35.8%) report having experienced violence. Among those, 89.5% have faced emotional/psychological violence, 23% socio-economic violence, 13.5% sexual violence/harmful practices, and 4.7% physical violence. Women with psychosocial disabilities report the highest rates of violence (68%). However, only 31% of women who experienced violence reported or disclosed their experiences to an institution or someone else.
• Employment: Women with disabilities face significant barriers to participating in the workforce and securing employment. For instance, half of the women report not being directed toward jobs suited to their disabilities, and 34.4% say they were not guided toward jobs matching their educational qualifications. One in four women has experienced discrimination in the workplace, with 41% encountering biased behavior from colleagues and 73% from employers or managers. Among the respondents, 37.7% are employed in income-generating jobs, a figure higher than the general employment rate for women (32.5%) and the rate for women with disabilities in the general population (12.6%) in Türkiye. The unemployment rate among women with disabilities seeking work is 11.6%. Furthermore, 1 in 10 women with disabilities lacks social security, and 60.5% rely on the income of other household members as their primary source of income.
• Access to Education: Women with disabilities face challenges in continuing their education due to insufficient family financial resources (47%), physical barriers to school access (35.6%), and lack of family support (27.5%). Additionally, 13.5% state that they are not provided with education support or information suitable for their disability, and 11.7% find that curricula and educational materials are not disability-inclusive. Access to and continuity in education are crucial for the employment of women: 54.4% of women who continued their education are employed in income-generating jobs, compared to only 16.6% of those who did not. 
• Healthcare: Nearly half (47%) of the participants report difficulties in physically accessing healthcare services. Many women also struggle to access assistive devices and materials suited to their needs based on their type of disability. Among women who participated directly in the survey, 4 out of 10 face challenges in accessing assistive devices, while this figure rises to 7 out of 10 among women whose information was provided by caregivers. Women with intellectual disabilities report the highest difficulty (82.4%) in accessing assistive devices. Despite having social security through Türkiye’s Social Security Institution (SGK), 9.9% of respondents lack any form of social security. The research highlights the need for inclusive, directly communicative healthcare services tailored to the needs of persons with disabilities.
• Urban Access and Social Participation: 69% of women with disabilities report difficulties accessing public buildings and spaces. One in four women with intellectual disabilities cannot use parks, squares, or public transportation, while nearly half of women with visual or orthopedic disabilities cannot access transportation services. Women with hearing disabilities often face barriers to accessing social events such as cinema, theater, or other cultural activities due to limited accessibility.
• Most Common Concerns: Four out of 10 women with disabilities express concerns about giving birth and raising children due to societal expectations and prejudices, while another 4 in 10 refrain from learning new skills because of fear of judgment. Additionally, 3 in 10 women worry about being attacked by strangers. 

“Our goal as the Association of Women with Disabilities is to highlight the discrimination women face at the intersection of disability and gender, and to seek solutions. This research fills a critical gap, as the lack of data hinders problem-solving and policy development. More comprehensive and representative studies are essential to address these issues fully. Women with disabilities are part of every aspect of life, so disability must be mainstreamed and considered in all research on women,” said Elif Emir Öksüz, Member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Women with Disabilities.

“As the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration approaches, we see this as an opportunity to advocate for the rights of women with disabilities and remove barriers to their empowerment. UN Women works with stakeholders to promote disability-inclusive gender equality and amplify their voices. This research fills a critical data gap, laying a foundation for future advocacy and policies to improve access to rights and services, contributing to a more equitable world,” says Ebru Ağduk, UN Women Project Manager.

Ağduk also stressed the importance of identifying the needs of women with disabilities after the earthquakes in Türkiye and collecting data to guide post-earthquake interventions and policies. “This step is essential to protect the rights of both individuals with disabilities and women with increased caregiving responsibilities,” says Ağduk.

The report was prepared and published by ENG-KAD as part of UN Women’s “Strong Civic Space for Gender Equality” project, funded by the European Union, with its first phase completed in October 2024.